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Top 2010 World Cup controversies

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VUVUZELAS: Worldwide audiences and soccer stars – including Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Argentina’s Lionel Messi – have complained about the incessant high-pitched whine of the long plastic horns, called vuvuzelas, seen here at Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa. That reignited calls to ban the vuvuzela, but FIFA chief Sepp Blatter put an end to that discussion early in the tournament. A Cape Town businessman has touted his design for a slightly quieter vuvuzela that reduces the tuneless horn's sound output from a deafening 134 decibels to a more manageable 121 decibels. That sounds good. Hussein Malla/AP

THE BALL: The official World Cup 2010 soccer ball, the Adidas-made Jabulani seen here, is terrible, say players. Its flight is unpredictable and has produced some of the lowest scoring early matches in World Cup history. Jabulani translates as “rejoice” in Zulu, but it’s caused the opposite reaction. “This ball is the worst ball that I’ve seen in my life,” said England coach Fabio Capello. “For the players it's terrible – particularly for the keepers because it's impossible to judge the trajectory. It's good when you play short passes but when you try to switch the ball with long passes it's really difficult to understand the trajectory. Sometimes it is impossible to control.” Themba Hadebe/AP

VOIDED US GOAL: Mali referee Koman Coulibaly (in yellow) didn’t explain why he called a foul and refused to take questions from the press for why he disqualified American Maurice Edu’s game-winning goal against Slovenia. The June 19 match, which saw the US (in blue) mount an incredible comeback from a 0-2 deficit, ended in a tie. “He accomplished what no one else could do in more than 100 years,” wrote Paul Kennedy, the editor of Soccer America magazine. “He made Americans care passionately about soccer.” Mr. Coulibaly was not chosen to continue officiating in the second round of the World Cup. David Gray/Reuters

HENRY’S HANDBALL: Thierry Henry’s handball during a qualifier match last November gave France the edge over Ireland and advanced Les Bleues into the World Cup. In what is now called "Le Hand of God," Mr. Henry, a striker for the French team, tapped the ball twice with his hand before passing it (with his foot) to fellow French player William Gallas. Mr. Gallas scored, France tied the game, and because of an earlier victory over the Irish, won the contest. The incident morphed into a full-blown diplomatic row, with Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen calling on French President Nicolas Sarkozy to organize a rematch. Mr. Sarkozy declined, but he did apologize. Henry is seen here during a World Cup Group A match between Uruguay and France in Cape Town on June 11. Julie Jacobson/AP

FRENCH MELTDOWN: Regardless of the controversial way France qualified, they came into the World Cup as one of the most talented teams. But Les Bleues dissolved into a bickering pack of prima donnas that embarrassed themselves and their country. Star striker Nicolas Anelka launched an allegedly foul-mouthed tirade at coach Raymond Domenech, who then sent Mr. Anelka packing, which spurred a revolt from the rest of the team. They boycotted a practice in protest and the French Football Federation's (FFF) managing director quit. President Nicolas Sarkozy even intervened, ordering his sports minister to extend her stay in South Africa to try to sort out Les Bleues after squabbling spun out of control during their June 17 match. The French team is seen here, arriving for the training session they refused to participate in on June 20. Francois Mori/AP

TOO MANY CARDS? It seems an especially card-happy World Cup. Brazil’s Kaka was ejected from the game after an Ivory Coast player apparently ran into him. Germany’s Miroslav Klose was ejected from his June 18 game against Serbia after receiving two yellow cards (among nine total served during the match). The call “will mark the name of Alberto Undiano into the black book of every student of refereeing demonology,” The Guardian wrote. But refs still have to give a lot of cards to catch up to the 2006 record of 345. Here, British referee Howard Webb gives a yellow card to Switzerland's Stephan Grichting during their match against Spain at Moses Mabhida stadium in Durban, South Africa, on June 16. Michael Buholzer/Reuters

NIGERIA’S RED CARD: Nigeria’s Sani Kaita (l.) reacts after being ousted after kicking a Greek player in the thigh. It was a weak kick that may not have even made contact, but Greece’s Vasilas Torosidis jumped to the ground writhing. Whether or not Torosidis was acting, the red card from Colombian referee Oscar Ruiz spoiled the team’s chances for a comeback in what was ultimately a 1-2 loss on June 17. Nigeria’s government placed security around Kaita after he received more than 1,000 e-mailed death threats form his countrymen. Thanassis Stavrakis/AP

ANOTHER ITALIAN DIVE: Italy tied New Zealand on a controversially earned penalty kick in the 26th minute of their June 20 match. Tommy Smith (19) tugged on Daniele De Rossi’s jersey, but De Rossi (in blue) leaped to the ground in mock agony. A yellow card resulted in an easy penalty-kick goal for Italy. Australia suffered the same fate last World Cup. The Socceroos lost 1-0 to Italy in the second round thanks to a very controversial penalty awarded after Italy’s Fabio Grosso dove in the box just before the end of the game. Bernat Armangue/AP

EMPTY SEATS: What’s with all the empty seats? While attendance was at 92.5 percent capacity over the first four days of the World Cup, game after game has showed gaping holes where people should be sitting. “As South Africa, we got the stadiums built, and all FIFA had to do was sell the tickets,” says Ivo Vegter, a sports columnist for The Daily Maverick, an online South African news publication. “They seem to have made a cock-up of it.” The cost of a flight to Africa and the region’s reputation for insecurity deterred sales, say officials. Pedestrians are seen walking in front of a ticket office at Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa, on June 7. Ivan Alvarado/Reuters

WAGE DISPUTES: A strike over pay by the security stewards at World Cup stadiums spread to half the tournament's 10 venues, forcing police to step in and assume their duties. The pay dispute is the most high-profile example of many South Africans' frustration that the wealth poured into the World Cup is not trickling down. A South African police officer gestures as people make their way through security in Cape Town, South Africa, on June 14 ahead of the Group F match between Italy and Paraguay. Themba Hadebe/AP

It is only a month from now that Ukraine and Poland will host Europe’s greatest sports event, the Euro 2012 soccer championship, but the relations between the political leaders in Kiev and their European counterparts could hardly be worse. The reason for the fallout? Opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko.